Wafer flip chamber and method of using the same

Abstract

The invention discloses a wafer turning chamber, which belongs to the field of semiconductor technology. The chamber comprises a turning chamber main body, a first tray and a second tray. A lower tray lifting mechanism is fixedly installed at the bottom of the turning chamber main body, an upper tray lifting mechanism is fixedly installed at the top of the turning chamber main body, and rotating mechanisms are fixedly installed on both sides of the turning chamber main body. The first tray and the second tray are movably connected to the output ends of the lower tray lifting mechanism and the upper tray lifting mechanism respectively, and the rotating mechanism is movably connected to both sides of the first tray and the second tray. The wafer is loaded and clamped by the first tray and the second tray, and the wafer is completely clamped between the trays. The rotating mechanism turns the first tray and the second tray to complete the turning of the wafer. All parts of the wafer surface are evenly stressed and will not be damaged during turning, which is beneficial to improving the practicability of the device, improving the yield rate of wafer turning, and facilitating the subsequent wafer production and processing operations.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a wafer flip chamber and a use method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Wafer refers to the silicon wafer used to make silicon semiconductor circuits. Its raw material is silicon. High-purity polysilicon is dissolved and doped with silicon crystal seeds, and then slowly pulled out to form cylindrical single crystal silicon. After grinding, polishing and slicing, the silicon crystal rod is formed into a silicon wafer, also known as a wafer.

[0003] Wafers need to be flipped during the production and processing process to perform comprehensive processing on the wafers. Existing wafer flipping equipment generally clamps the wafers for flipping. Directly clamping the wafers causes uneven force on the surface of the wafers, which is very easy to be damaged. During the flipping process, the centrifugal force generated by the rotation will also cause damage to the wafer. Therefore, a wafer flipping chamber and a method of using the same are proposed. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a wafer flipping chamber, which uses a tray to clamp the wafer, and flips the tray to complete the flipping of the wafer. The force on the surface of the wafer is uniform and will not be damaged during the flipping process, which is beneficial to improving the practicability of the device and improving the yield rate during the wafer flipping process.

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: a wafer flip chamber, comprising a flip chamber main body, a first tray, and a second tray, wherein the first tray and the second tray are both located in the flip chamber main body, and the first tray and the second tray are movably connected to each other, a lower tray lifting mechanism is fixedly installed at the bottom of the flip chamber main body, an upper tray lifting mechanism is fixedly installed at the top of the flip chamber main body, and rotating mechanisms are fixedly installed on both sides of the flip chamber main body, the first tray and the second tray are movably connected to the output ends of the lower tray lifting mechanism and the upper tray lifting mechanism respectively, and the rotating mechanism is movably connected to both sides of the first tray and the second tray.

[0006] Preferably, the first tray includes a first plate, a first wafer slot is provided on the top of the first plate, first half-axes are fixedly installed on both sides of the first plate, and a first lifting shaft is fixedly installed on the bottom of the first half-axes, and the second tray includes a second plate, a second wafer slot is provided on the second plate, second half-axes are fixedly installed on both sides of the second plate, and second lifting shafts are fixedly installed on both sides of the second plate above the second half-axes.

[0007] Preferably, the lower pallet lifting mechanism includes a lifting cylinder and a supporting cylinder. The lifting cylinder is fixedly installed in the middle of the bottom of the turning chamber body, and the supporting cylinder is located on both sides of the lifting cylinder. A carrying pallet is fixedly installed on the top of the output end of the lifting cylinder, and a supporting block is fixedly installed on the top of the output end of the supporting cylinder. The carrying pallet is movably connected to the first plate and the second plate respectively, and the supporting block is movably connected to the first half-axis and the second half-axis respectively.

[0008] Preferably, the upper tray lifting mechanism includes a lifting cylinder fixedly installed on the top of the flip chamber body, a mounting plate is fixedly installed on the bottom of the output end of the lifting cylinder, and connecting clips are fixedly installed on the bottom of both sides of the mounting plate, and the connecting clips are movably connected to the first lifting shaft and the second lifting shaft respectively.

[0009] Preferably, a first limiting groove is provided on the side of the first lifting shaft close to the first half-shaft, and a second limiting groove is provided on the side of the second lifting shaft close to the second half-shaft. A limiting angle block is fixedly installed on the connecting clamp, and the limiting angle block is movably engaged with the first limiting groove and the second limiting groove respectively.

[0010] Preferably, the rotating mechanism comprises telescopic cylinders fixedly mounted on both sides of the turning chamber body, and rotating clamping blocks are fixedly mounted on output ends of the telescopic cylinders, and the rotating clamping blocks are movably connected to the first semi-axle and the second semi-axle respectively.

[0011] The present invention also provides a wafer flip chamber and a method for using the same, which uses the above-mentioned wafer flip chamber and comprises the following steps:

[0012] S1. First, place the first pallet on the carrying pallet, start the lifting cylinder to lift the lifting block, so that the lifting block abuts against the first semi-axle, install the second pallet on the connecting clamp, and connect the connecting clamp to the second lifting shaft;

[0013] S2, loading the wafers and placing the wafers on the first wafer slots until the first wafer slots are filled;

[0014] S3, synchronously start the lifting cylinder and the lifting cylinder, the lifting cylinder lifts the first pallet in the carrying pallet, the lifting cylinder drives the second pallet on the connecting clamp to descend, after the lifting cylinder is lifted into place, the lifting cylinder is started, the lifting block lifts the first pallet to be flush with the center of the rotating clamping block, the lifting cylinder drives the second pallet to descend to be flush with the center of the rotating clamping block, and the first semi-axis contacts the second semi-axis;

[0015] S4, the telescopic cylinder is started to drive the rotating clamping block to move toward the first semi-axis and the second semi-axis. After the ends of the first semi-axis and the second semi-axis enter the rotating clamping block for a distance, the lifting cylinder drives the lifting block to reset, and the jacking cylinder drives the carrying tray to reset. After the connecting clamp releases the second lifting shaft, the lifting cylinder resets, and the telescopic cylinder continues to work, and the first semi-axis and the second semi-axis completely enter the rotating clamping block;

[0016] S5. The rotating clamping block drives the first tray and the second tray to rotate, and then stops after rotating by degrees.

[0017] Preferably, the method further comprises the following steps:

[0018] S6, the telescopic cylinder is started again, driving the rotating clamping block to reset, and at the same time the jacking cylinder, the lifting cylinder, and the lifting cylinder are started to move toward the first pallet and the second pallet;

[0019] S7, after the lifting block contacts the second semi-axis and the connecting clamp clamps the first lifting axis, the rotating clamping block is completely separated from the first semi-axis and the second semi-axis, and the wafer falls from the first wafer slot to the second wafer slot to complete the flipping;

[0020] S8, the lifting cylinder is reset to drive the second tray down to the carrying tray, and the lifting cylinder is reset to drive the first tray up, and the second tray loaded with wafers is moved out for the next step of processing.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0022] 1. The wafer is loaded and clamped by setting the first tray and the second tray. The wafer is completely clamped between the trays. The rotating mechanism flips the first tray and the second tray to complete the flipping of the wafer. All parts of the wafer surface are evenly stressed and will not be damaged during flipping, which is beneficial to improve the practicality of the device, increase the yield of wafer flipping, and facilitate subsequent wafer production and processing operations.

[0023] 2. By setting a limiting angle block on the connecting clamp, which is connected to the first limiting groove or the second limiting groove, when the upper pallet lifting mechanism lifts the pallet, the pallet is acted upon by gravity, so that the limiting groove and the limiting angle block fit closely together, thereby limiting the pallet and preventing it from rotating on the connecting clamp, which is beneficial to improving the stability of the device operation and further improving the practicability of the device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 The overall structure of a wafer flip chamber in the embodiment is shown in FIG. Figure 1 ;

[0025] Figure 2 The overall structure of a wafer flip chamber in the embodiment is shown in FIG. Figure 2 ;

[0026] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the overall structure of a wafer flip chamber in an embodiment;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a wafer flip chamber after flipping in an embodiment;

[0028] Figure 5 A wafer flip chamber in an embodiment Figure 3 The structural schematic diagram of A is shown;

[0029] Figure 6 A wafer flip chamber in an embodiment Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the structure at B is shown;

[0030] Among them: 1. the main body of the turning chamber; 2. the first tray; 21. the first plate; 22. the first wafer slot; 23. the first semi-axis; 24. the first lifting axis; 241. the first limiting slot; 3. the second tray; 31. the second plate; 32. the second wafer slot; 33. the second semi-axis; 34. the second lifting axis; 341. the second limiting slot; 4. the lower tray lifting mechanism; 41. the lifting cylinder; 42. the lifting cylinder; 43. the carrying tray; 44. the lifting block; 5. the upper tray lifting mechanism; 51. the lifting cylinder; 52. the mounting plate; 53. the connecting clamp; 531. the limiting angle block; 6. the rotating mechanism; 61. the telescopic cylinder; 62. the rotating clamping block. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following is attached to the instruction manual Figure 1-6 , the technical solution of the present invention is explained through specific embodiments.

[0032] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a wafer flip chamber provided by the present invention comprises a flip chamber main body 1, a first tray 2, and a second tray 3. The first tray 2 and the second tray 3 are both located in the flip chamber main body 1. The first tray 2 and the second tray 3 are movably connected to each other. A lower tray lifting mechanism 4 is fixedly installed at the bottom of the flip chamber main body 1, an upper tray lifting mechanism 5 is fixedly installed at the top of the flip chamber main body 1, and rotating mechanisms 6 are fixedly installed on both sides of the flip chamber main body 1. The first tray 2 and the second tray 3 are movably connected to the output ends of the lower tray lifting mechanism 4 and the upper tray lifting mechanism 5 respectively, and the rotating mechanism 6 is movably connected to both sides of the first tray 2 and the second tray 3.

[0033] like Figure 3As shown, the first tray 2 includes a first plate 21, a first wafer slot 22 is provided on the first plate 21, and first semi-axles 23 are fixedly installed on both sides of the first plate 21; the second tray 3 includes a second plate 31, a second wafer slot 32 is provided on the second plate 31, and second semi-axles 33 are fixedly installed on both sides of the second plate 31;

[0034] The lower tray lifting mechanism 4 includes a lifting cylinder 41 and a lifting cylinder 42 fixedly installed at the bottom of the turning chamber body 1. The lifting cylinder 41 is located in the middle of the bottom of the turning chamber body 1, and the lifting cylinder 42 is located on both sides of the lifting cylinder 41. A carrying tray 43 is fixedly installed at the output end of the lifting cylinder 41, and a lifting block 44 is fixedly installed at the output end of the lifting cylinder 42. The bottom of the first plate 21 is movably connected to the carrying tray 43, and the lifting block 44 is movably connected to the first semi-axle 23.

[0035] The upper tray lifting mechanism 5 includes a lifting cylinder 51 fixedly mounted on the top of the turning chamber body 1, a mounting plate 52 is fixedly mounted on the output end of the lifting cylinder 51, and connecting clips 53 are fixedly mounted on both sides of the bottom of the mounting plate 52, and the connecting clips 53 are movably connected to the second tray 3;

[0036] The rotating mechanism 6 includes telescopic cylinders 61 fixedly mounted on both sides of the turning chamber body 1 , and a rotating clamping block 62 is fixedly mounted on the output end of the telescopic cylinder 61 , and the rotating clamping block 62 is movably connected to the first semi-axle 23 and the second semi-axle 33 .

[0037] like Figure 5 As shown, the second lifting shaft 34 is fixedly installed on both sides of the second plate 31 at the top of the second semi-shaft 33, the connecting clamp 53 is movably connected to the second lifting shaft 34, and the second lifting shaft 34 is provided with a second limiting groove 341 on the side close to the second semi-shaft 33, and the limiting angle block 531 is fixedly installed on the connecting clamp 53, and the limiting angle block 531 is movably engaged with the second limiting groove 341.

[0038] like Figure 6 As shown, a first lifting shaft 24 is fixedly mounted on the bottom of the first semi-shaft 23 , and a first limiting groove 241 is formed on a side of the first lifting shaft 24 close to the first semi-shaft 23 .

[0039] Similarly: Figure 4 As shown, after the rotating mechanism 6 turns over the first tray 2 and the second tray 3, the first tray 2 is located above the second tray 3. Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 ,from Figure 4 It can be seen that the bottom of the second plate 31 is movably connected to the carrying tray 43, the lifting block 44 is movably connected to the second half shaft 33, the connecting clamp 53 is movably connected to the first lifting shaft 24, and the limiting angle block 531 is movably engaged with the first limiting groove 241.

[0040] like Figure 1 As shown, how to use:

[0041] S1. First, place the first pallet 2 on the carrying pallet 43, start the lifting cylinder 42 to lift the lifting block 44, so that the lifting block 44 abuts against the first semi-axle 23, and install the second pallet 3 on the connecting clamp 53, and the connecting clamp 53 is connected to the second lifting shaft 34;

[0042] S2, loading the wafers and placing the wafers on the first wafer slots 22 until the first wafer slots 22 are filled;

[0043] S3, synchronously start the lifting cylinder 41 and the lifting cylinder 51, the lifting cylinder 41 lifts the first tray 2 in the carrying tray 43, the lifting cylinder 51 drives the second tray 3 on the connecting clamp 53 to descend, after the lifting cylinder 41 is lifted into place, the lifting cylinder 42 is started, the lifting block 44 lifts the first tray 2 to be flush with the center of the rotating clamping block 62, the lifting cylinder 51 drives the second tray 3 to descend to be flush with the center of the rotating clamping block 62, and the first semi-shaft 23 contacts the second semi-shaft 33;

[0044] S4, the telescopic cylinder 61 is started to drive the rotating clamping block 62 to move toward the first semi-shaft 23 and the second semi-shaft 33. After the ends of the first semi-shaft 23 and the second semi-shaft 33 enter the rotating clamping block 62 for a distance, the lifting cylinder 42 drives the lifting block 44 to reset, and the jacking cylinder 41 drives the carrying tray 43 to reset. After the connecting clamp 53 releases the second lifting shaft 34, the lifting cylinder 51 resets, and the telescopic cylinder 61 continues to work, and the first semi-shaft 23 and the second semi-shaft 33 completely enter the rotating clamping block 62;

[0045] S5, the rotating clamping block 62 drives the first tray 2 and the second tray 3 to rotate, and stops after rotating 180°;

[0046] S6, the telescopic cylinder 61 is started again, driving the rotating clamping block 62 to reset, and at the same time the jacking cylinder 41, the lifting cylinder 42, and the lifting cylinder 51 are started to move toward the first tray 2 and the second tray 3;

[0047] S7, after the lifting block 44 contacts the second semi-shaft 33 and the connecting clamp 53 clamps the first lifting shaft 24, the rotating clamping block 62 is completely separated from the first semi-shaft 23 and the second semi-shaft 33, and the wafer falls from the first wafer slot 22 to the second wafer slot 32 to complete the flipping;

[0048] S8, the lifting cylinder 42 is reset to drive the second tray 3 to fall onto the carrying tray 43, and the lifting cylinder 51 is reset to drive the first tray 2 to rise, and the second tray 3 loaded with wafers is moved out for the next step of processing.

[0049] Working principle: Figure 1For example, assemble the device, such as Figure 1 As shown, the wafer is placed on the first tray 2, and the lifting cylinder 41, the lifting cylinder 42, and the lifting cylinder 51 are started to lift the first tray 2 and drive the second tray 3 to descend, so that the first tray 2 and the second tray 3 are in contact with each other in the middle of the turning chamber main body 1 to clamp the wafer, and then the telescopic cylinder 61 is started to drive the rotating clamping block 62 to contact the first semi-axis 23 and the second semi-axis 33, and the lower tray lifting mechanism 4 and the upper tray lifting mechanism 5 are reset to prevent the lower tray lifting mechanism 4 and the upper tray lifting mechanism 5 from blocking the rotation of the first tray 2 and the second tray 3, and the rotating clamping block 62 drives the first tray 2 and the second tray 3 to rotate, and the first tray 2 and the second tray 3 are turned over. After turning over, the second tray 3 is located at the bottom of the inside of the turning chamber main body 1, and the first tray 2 is located at the top of the inside of the turning chamber main body 1, and the lower tray lifting mechanism 4 and the upper tray lifting mechanism 5 are started again to receive the second tray 3 and the first tray 2, and the lower tray lifting mechanism 4 and the upper tray lifting mechanism 5 are started again to receive the second tray 3 and the first tray 2. The tray lifting mechanism 4 drives the second tray 3 to fall, and the upper tray lifting mechanism 5 drives the first tray 2 to rise. After the first tray 2 and the second tray 3 are separated, the wafer falls onto the second tray 3 to complete the flipping of the wafer. The surface of the wafer is completely clamped by the first tray 2 and the second tray 3. The force on each part of the wafer is uniform, and it is not easy to be damaged by force during flipping, so as to carry out subsequent processing of the wafer and improve the yield of the wafer during the flipping process to reduce production costs. The limiting angle block 531 is arranged on the connecting clamp 53, which cooperates with the first limiting groove 241 and the second limiting groove 341 on the first lifting shaft 24 and the second lifting shaft 34 to form a limiting structure. When the upper tray lifting mechanism 5 lifts the first tray 2 and the second tray 3, the first tray 2 and the second tray 3 will not rotate around the first lifting shaft 24 and the second lifting shaft 34, and the stability of the device operation is guaranteed, which is conducive to improving the practicality of the device.

[0050] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A wafer turning chamber, comprising a turning chamber body (1), a first tray (2), and a second tray (3), wherein the first tray (2) and the second tray (3) are both located in the turning chamber body (1), and the first tray (2) and the second tray (3) are movably connected to each other, characterized in that: A lower tray lifting mechanism (4) is fixedly installed at the bottom of the turning chamber body (1), an upper tray lifting mechanism (5) is fixedly installed at the top of the turning chamber body (1), and rotating mechanisms (6) are fixedly installed on both sides of the turning chamber body (1); the first tray (2) and the second tray (3) are movably connected to the output ends of the lower tray lifting mechanism (4) and the upper tray lifting mechanism (5), respectively, and the rotating mechanism (6) is movably connected to both sides of the first tray (2) and the second tray (3); the first tray (2) comprises a first plate (21), A first wafer slot (22) is provided on the top of the first plate (21), first half shafts (23) are fixedly installed on both sides of the first plate (21), and a first lifting shaft (24) is fixedly installed on the bottom of the first half shaft (23); the second tray (3) comprises a second plate (31), a second wafer slot (32) is provided on the second plate (31), second half shafts (33) are fixedly installed on both sides of the second plate (31), and second lifting shafts (34) are fixedly installed on both sides of the second plate (31) above the second half shaft (33).

2. A wafer flip chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower tray lifting mechanism (4) comprises a lifting cylinder (41) and a supporting cylinder (42); the lifting cylinder (41) is fixedly mounted at the middle of the bottom of the turning chamber body (1); the supporting cylinder (42) is located on both sides of the lifting cylinder (41); a carrying tray (43) is fixedly mounted on the top of the output end of the lifting cylinder (41); a supporting block (44) is fixedly mounted on the top of the output end of the supporting cylinder (42); the carrying tray (43) is movably connected to the first plate (21) and the second plate (31) respectively; and the supporting block (44) is movably connected to the first semi-axle (23) and the second semi-axle (33) respectively.

3. The wafer flip chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper tray lifting mechanism (5) comprises a lifting cylinder (51) fixedly mounted on the top of the turning chamber body (1); a mounting plate (52) is fixedly mounted on the bottom of the output end of the lifting cylinder (51); connecting clips (53) are fixedly mounted on the bottom of both sides of the mounting plate (52); and the connecting clips (53) are movably connected to the first lifting shaft (24) and the second lifting shaft (34), respectively.

4. A wafer flip chamber according to claim 3, characterized in that: A first limiting groove (241) is provided on the side of the first lifting shaft (24) close to the first semi-shaft (23), and a second limiting groove (341) is provided on the side of the second lifting shaft (34) close to the second semi-shaft (33). A limiting angle block (531) is fixedly installed on the connecting clamp (53), and the limiting angle block (531) is movably engaged with the first limiting groove (241) and the second limiting groove (341) respectively.

5. The wafer flip chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating mechanism (6) comprises a telescopic cylinder (61) fixedly mounted on both sides of the turning chamber body (1), and a rotating clamping block (62) is fixedly mounted on the output end of the telescopic cylinder (61), and the rotating clamping block (62) is movably connected to the first semi-shaft (23) and the second semi-shaft (33) respectively.

6. A method for using a wafer flip chamber, using the wafer flip chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The steps include: S1. First, place the first pallet (2) on the carrying pallet (43), start the lifting cylinder (42) to lift the lifting block (44), so that the lifting block (44) abuts against the first semi-axle (23), install the second pallet (3) on the connecting clamp (53), and connect the connecting clamp (53) to the second lifting shaft (34); S2, loading the wafers and placing the wafers on the first wafer slot (22) until the first wafer slot (22) is filled; S3, synchronously start the lifting cylinder (41) and the lifting cylinder (51), the lifting cylinder (41) lifts the first pallet (2) in the carrying pallet (43), the lifting cylinder (51) drives the second pallet (3) on the connecting clamp (53) to descend, after the lifting cylinder (41) is lifted into place, the lifting cylinder (42) is started, the lifting block (44) lifts the first pallet (2) to be flush with the center of the rotating clamping block (62), the lifting cylinder (51) drives the second pallet (3) to descend to be flush with the center of the rotating clamping block (62), and the first semi-shaft (23) contacts the second semi-shaft (33); S4, the telescopic cylinder (61) is started to drive the rotating clamping block (62) to move toward the first semi-shaft (23) and the second semi-shaft (33). After the ends of the first semi-shaft (23) and the second semi-shaft (33) enter the rotating clamping block (62) for a certain distance, the lifting cylinder (42) drives the lifting block (44) to reset, the jacking cylinder (41) drives the carrying tray (43) to reset, the connecting clamp (53) releases the second lifting shaft (34), and the lifting cylinder (51) resets. The telescopic cylinder (61) continues to work, and the first semi-shaft (23) and the second semi-shaft (33) completely enter the rotating clamping block (62); S5. The rotating clamping block (62) drives the first tray (2) and the second tray (3) to rotate, and the first tray (2) and the second tray (3) rotate 180 degrees and then stop.

7. The method for using a wafer flip chamber according to claim 6, characterized in that: The following steps are also included: S6, the telescopic cylinder (61) is started again, driving the rotating clamping block (62) to reset, and at the same time the jacking cylinder (41), the lifting cylinder (42), and the lifting cylinder (51) are started to move toward the first pallet (2) and the second pallet (3); S7, after the lifting block (44) contacts the second semi-shaft (33) and the connecting clamp (53) clamps the first lifting shaft (24), the rotating clamping block (62) is completely separated from the first semi-shaft (23) and the second semi-shaft (33), and the wafer falls from the first wafer slot (22) to the second wafer slot (32) to complete the flipping; S8, the lifting cylinder (42) is reset to drive the second tray (3) to fall onto the carrying tray (43), the lifting cylinder (51) is reset to drive the first tray (2) to rise, and the second tray (3) loaded with wafers is removed for the next step of processing.

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